


When Rocks Fall

by scatter



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Angst, Community: badbadbathhouse, Gen, Rocks Fall Everyone Dies, Sad, Subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-13
Updated: 2011-04-13
Packaged: 2017-10-18 00:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/183241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatter/pseuds/scatter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A trip through the bathhouse ends badly for everyone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Rocks Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt at the Persona 4 Kink Meme: _Something with a bad ending_.

Yosuke says partner all the time. It's like saying Souji isn't good enough for him; he has to let everyone know he's got some claim on Souji that they don't. Or maybe it's not others he's reassuring but himself. Yosuke's always been a little insecure like that.

But really – partner, partner, partner. Sometimes Chie gets sick of it, never wants to hear the word again.

She'd give anything to hear it said now, but Yosuke's having trouble forming the word through a mouth full of blood. He keeps trying, though, and that's the terrible thing. Not enough breath left to breathe but he's still gasping for it – nothing's going to come; she can't make herself look at what used to be his chest but she can hear the sucking and wheezing of air – still trying to get that one word out like everything will be okay if he can manage it.

Yukiko can't watch either. She's sobbing quietly against Chie's shoulder and Chie wonders whose guilt is heavier – hers for not being to heal him or Souji for being pushed out of the way.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm right here." Souji's voice is low and soft, and Chie's immediately struck by a sense of voyeurism that makes her feel dirty. She shouldn't be here watching this or hearing this, but she can't move. Yosuke is her friend too.

Souji's pulled Yosuke onto his lap and is leaning over him, saying random soothing nonsense.

" _Par_ —" It's more like an exhale that just happens to sound the right way than a real word, but Yosuke renews his efforts, encouraged by that little success.

Souji shakes his head. "You don’t have to say anything, come on, stop. Please, Yosuke, stop."

Yosuke tries to shake his too, manages to bring a hand up to clutch at Souji's jacket. He opens his mouth and blood swells up, chokes him, runs down his face.

Souji breaks. He's hiding Yosuke from view now and desperately calling Yosuke partner, like he'll be able to make up for the fact that Yosuke can't manage it. He's saying other things too but Chie blocks them out. They're not for her to hear.

Yosuke's arm jerks once, horribly, and then he goes still.

Souji doesn't move for a long time.

When he finally does, he's got what Yosuke used to call his leader face on, perfectly blank. It looks wrong now, though, like a mask that's been applied incorrectly. His eyes are red, his face flushed, and there's blood on it that he doesn't bother to wipe off.

"We have to keep going."

"What?" Chie's voice comes out hoarsely. "We can't, Souji! If we could barely beat that thing, how are we supposed to fight Kanji's Shadow?"

"Today's the last day." Souji takes one last look at Yosuke as he lowers his body. His expression slips for a moment and when it's fixed it's worse than ever. It'd be better if he'd cried but he swallows everything, stands up, and walks away.

They follow him.

Chie tells herself they can still do this; they'll find something, some item that'll turn the tide or get one of those lucky moments at the end of battle when they're sudden reinvigorated and then they'll be able to go back and fix Yosuke.

They don't, and watching Yosuke die was nothing compared to watching Yukiko.

Not enough time to see it coming, to push her out of the way and take the blow herself. Just a blur of motion out of the corner of one eye, a scream that became a gurgle, and Yukiko covered in red, so much so that she's not _Yukiko_ anymore, just some sick joke.

Souji takes care of the Shadow but it doesn't matter. Yukiko's gone before Chie can get to her, her eyes wide and a look of surprise on her face.

It's not fair. Yosuke and Souji had their moment, terrible as it was, but she doesn't get anything. Just Yukiko in red and Kanji's Shadow tittering from somewhere unseen.

She's kneeling next to Yukiko when Souji comes up behind her. "Do we have to keep going?" she bites out, the tone working its way through her tears. It's _not fair_ and she hates him so much for having what she couldn't.

"I'm going back to Yosuke." He never really left; his hits haven't been as strong, his steps not as sure, and on their way here, to where Yukiko… On their way here, he stopped more than once and started to turn back, only just catching himself.

"I'm not leaving her." She hopes he'll say something because then she'll have something to kick and she'll be angry, which is better than the awful feeling inside of her, like a wail that won't come out. She's crying so hard she thinks she might be sick but the feeling doesn't get any better.

He just says, "I know," and leaves. She listens to his shoes sound against the wooden floor. Before he's down the hallway, he's running.

Chie's not going anywhere. She gathers Yukiko up, leans against a wall, and waits.

At least it doesn't take long.


End file.
